We are extremely proud of Head students Jada and James, who braved a very cold and wet Sunday morning, to pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom. They joined the parade at Aldridge Service of Remembrance before laying a wreath, on behalf of the school, at the War Memorial. This year marked 70 years since the end of the Korean war. Those who served in the ‘Forgotten War’ were also saluted.
Year 12 students aspiring to become doctors and dentists have begun their mentoring programme with In2Med School. The long term support will run throughout Year 12 and 13 and aims to support students in making successful applications to highly competitive courses in the healthcare field. Our student mentor is currently training to become a doctor at the University of Birmingham and is volunteering to support students every step of the way with their journey to medical school. Beginning with learning about the medical issues in their community and the challenges facing the NHS, students will be supported in developing their voluntary experiences and building up essential skills needed to be effective healthcare practitioners, right through to getting expert guidance with their applications, UCAT testing and interviews.
This week as part of the national Armistice period, our cadets have been preparing for the Matrix Academy Trust Armistice Parade.
The parade incorporates members of the Combined Cadet Forces from all of our schools in remembering those who sacrifice their lives to serve and protect our communities.
This year the trust has commissioned a new Union Standard to commemorate the work of our staff and students who are members of the Combined Cadet Forces.
Lest We Forget!
As Armistice day approaches the students of Barr Beacon School have been remembering those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice their lives to protect our communities and nation.
The members of the Combined Cadet Force along with Mrs Selby have delivered assemblies to our houses. Meanwhile, other members of the Cadets have been selling poppies and supporting the Royal British Legion poppy appeal.
Year 11 pupils visited Newnham College Cambridge and received guidance on applying to universities, interactive workshops about study skills, the importance of being ‘super curricular’ as well as a guided tour and Q & A sessions with undergraduates of Cambridge University.
Louis said: “The visit has really helped me consider my options for a future in education, through experiencing what university life can be like.”
Clara said: “The trip to Cambridge was very educational, especially the guidance on applying to universities and how to be super curricular. I enjoyed the campus tour, it was very historic and the food was nice too.”
Year 10 will soon be visited by members of both Cambridge and Oxford with further visits to these universities planned later in the year.
Today our two Contingents were involved in a field training day designed to train and then test our cadets in field craft activities.
All of the cadets worked together in groups made up of both contingents to encourage collaborative working, confidence and sharing of ideas. They then were put through their paces with a number of testing scenarios in which the designated commanders had to lead their teams. Many of the cadets commented on how much they had learnt and all wanted to know when the next day or camp would take place.
A big thank you to all of the staff who attended & supported the event.
Pupils in Year 8 visited the University of Birmingham for a taster day, exploring the huge campus and meeting current students. After an introduction to what university has to offer and a few games, pupils had the chance to tour the grounds, visiting the impressive Great Hall in the Aston Webb building, the library, the sports fields and gym (with an impressive rock climbing wall) and the Student’s Union.
Kai said “I enjoyed learning more about the university”. Cassie and Safaa said they enjoyed the question and answer session with the current university students, as they were able to “ask loads of questions”. Olivia and Eliza found the Pictionary Course Game really helpful to learn about the many different courses you can study at university.
In preparation for their future careers, students with ambitions to enter the healthcare sector took part in a workshop delivered by the NHS. Our students were able to increase their awareness of health attitudes and behaviours, and the impact they can have in their local community. This was part of a wider programme focusing on helping to reduce the risk of maternal poor health and infant mortality, as Birmingham currently has higher than average rates.
The workshop also introduced students to the different career opportunities within healthcare.
Students enjoyed taking part in a variety of engaging activities and now have something they can reflect on in their university or apprenticeship interviews.
Period poverty affects a staggering number of females across the country: 1 in 10 females of both school age and adult, have not been able to afford sanitary products at some point in time.
On Thursday 19th October, our Year 7 girls had an assembly about this shocking fact. In the assembly we were able, thanks to PHS and government support, to provide our pupils with various sanitary products. In addition, we were able to talk about the matter of period management and how best to do this whilst in school. Sharing helpful tips and tricks about this was reassuring for our pupils and we reinforced the message that no one should ever have to live in period poverty, the school can support with this. It was great to see our young people being considerate to others and thinking proactively and positively and how to manage periods effectively.
It is my pleasure to introduce to you our new team of pupils who will work as Wellbeing Ambassadors in our school for 2023/24. These inspiring young people have volunteered their time freely to help support the positive mental well-being of the pupils within our community here at Barr Beacon School. Interviews were held for these positions, and every one of these pupils demonstrated our Beacon School Values; especially in their desire to help other children in the school to ‘Be Themselves’.
Over the coming weeks and months, the Wellbeing Team will set up drop-in sessions which other pupils can attend to receive tips on how to improve their personal sense of wellbeing. They will also hold fundraising events for various mental health charities and help give a pupil’s perspective on mental health during World Mental Health week through delivering assemblies to the rest of the school. As the academic year progresses, this dedicated team will drive new ideas to continue raising awareness of positive well-being across our school community.
Barr Beacon School
Old Hall Lane
Aldridge, Walsall
West Midlands
WS9 0RF
T: 0121 366 6600
postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
